Grief counselor vs mental health counselor

The differences between grief counselors and mental health counselors can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a mental health counselor has an average salary of $49,471, which is higher than the $39,859 average annual salary of a grief counselor.

The top three skills for a grief counselor include patients, MSW and community outreach. The most important skills for a mental health counselor are social work, patients, and crisis intervention.

Grief counselor vs mental health counselor overview

	Grief Counselor	Mental Health Counselor
Yearly salary	$39,859	$49,471
Hourly rate	$19.16	$23.78
Growth rate	-	9%
Number of jobs	27,537	110,752
Job satisfaction	-	2
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 54%	Bachelor's Degree, 58%
Average age	44	41
Years of experience	-	4

Grief counselor vs mental health counselor salary

Grief counselors and mental health counselors have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Grief Counselor	Mental Health Counselor
Average salary	$39,859	$49,471
Salary range	Between $32,000 And $49,000	Between $34,000 And $70,000
Highest paying City	-	Longview, WA
Highest paying state	-	Washington
Best paying company	-	Family Life Counseling & Psychiatric Services
Best paying industry	-	Health Care

Differences between grief counselor and mental health counselor education

There are a few differences between a grief counselor and a mental health counselor in terms of educational background:

	Grief Counselor	Mental Health Counselor
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 54%	Bachelor's Degree, 58%
Most common major	Psychology	Psychology
Most common college	University of Pennsylvania	California State University - Long Beach

Grief counselor vs mental health counselor demographics

Here are the differences between grief counselors' and mental health counselors' demographics:

	Grief Counselor	Mental Health Counselor
Average age	44	41
Gender ratio	Male, 24.4% Female, 75.6%	Male, 31.4% Female, 68.6%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 15.6% Unknown, 5.1% Hispanic or Latino, 11.1% Asian, 3.5% White, 63.5% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.2%	Black or African American, 11.3% Unknown, 5.9% Hispanic or Latino, 12.2% Asian, 3.2% White, 67.0% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.4%
LGBT Percentage	9%	15%

Differences between grief counselor and mental health counselor duties and responsibilities

Grief counselor example responsibilities.

Provide individual grief counseling to hospice and non-hospice community patients in bereavement.
Provide anticipatory grief and bereavement counseling support to family members of hospice patients.
Work towards empowering juveniles and their families to support a positive lifestyle by providing strength base intensive intervention and rehabilitation services.
Organize and lead regular youth and college bible studies, teaching about prayer and promoting spirituality.

Mental health counselor example responsibilities.

Provide clinical consultation to consumers and clients regarding manage care services and other benefits available to them through their EAP programs.
Conduct group check-in and co-lead group psychotherapy sessions to help clients identify and manage problems associate with psychiatric conditions.
Certify in CPI (crisis intervention technique).
Assist with crisis intervention, (CPI) maintains treatment activities.
Provide mental health assessment and evaluation of detainees refer by facility staff or identify by pre-screening (booking or nursing).
Assess for special needs during booking process.

Grief counselor vs mental health counselor skills

Common grief counselor skills

Patients, 19%
MSW, 18%
Community Outreach, 11%
Emotional Support, 10%
Educational Workshops, 10%
Ministry, 7%

Common mental health counselor skills

Social Work, 17%
Patients, 16%
Crisis Intervention, 9%
Patient Care, 6%
Mental Health Issues, 5%
Rehabilitation, 4%

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Grief Counselor
Grief Counselor vs Mental Health Counselor

Updated January 8, 2025

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